Russia announced today, Wednesday, that the decision by Washington to stop informing it about certain data related to its nuclear forces, as required by the "New START" treaty for arms control, will not lead it to reconsider its decision to suspend participation in the treaty.
It emphasized its voluntary commitment to adhere to the agreed-upon limits on the number of nuclear warheads it is allowed to deploy, regardless of the American actions.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that Russia has pledged to comply with the basic quantitative limits set by the treaty. He confirmed that the Russian position does not depend on "whether the Americans will provide us with their data or not," adding, "The United States remains a party to the treaty and is obliged to send data and comply fully with its terms."
The Russian Ministry of Defense revealed today that it has begun exercises with the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system, involving thousands of its troops, which is likely to be seen as a new attempt by Moscow to showcase its nuclear capabilities.
For its part, the United States announced yesterday, Tuesday, that it would stop informing Russia about certain information related to its nuclear forces.
Putin justified his country's suspension of participation in the treaty by claiming that the West is directly involved in Ukrainian attacks on Russian strategic bomber bases deep within Russia, although he provided no evidence for this.
The "New START" treaty, which was signed in 2010 and is set to expire in 2026, places a cap on the number of strategic nuclear warheads that both countries can deploy. It is worth noting that Russia and the United States are the two largest nuclear powers in the world.
